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Day 1: Welcome to Second Grade!

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🧱 Play with your child: Hundreds, Tens and Ones

The day, step by step

1. 10–15 min Morning meeting and calendar 2.NBT.1, 2.NBT.3, 2.NBT.8, 2.OA.3

   1. Greeting: choose a greeting (handshake, wave, a friendly "good morning") and greet each person by name.
   2. Calendar: read the full date, then ask "What day was it 3 days ago? What day will it be in 5 days?"
   3. Days of school: today is day 1. Show it with base-ten pieces: 0 tens and 1 one. Write it in expanded form: 1 = 1.
   4. Number of the day: 1. Is it odd or even? What is 10 more (11) and 10 less?
   5. Question of the day: "What is one thing you want to get better at this year?" Everyone answers in a complete sentence with a reason.

2. 20 min Phonics and fluency RF.2.3a, RF.2.3f, RF.2.4

   1. Introduce: A closed syllable ends with a consonant, so its vowel is short: cat, stamp, and both parts of rab|bit.
   2. Key word: stamp. Underline the pattern and read it together. Then read: stamp, chest, crisp, plump, blond.
   3. Fluency: read the passage aloud while your child follows with a finger, then echo read it sentence by sentence: "On the first day, Max felt a flutter in his chest. The class was big and the halls were long. Then a kid named Pat sat next to him. "Do you want to help me fix the fish tank?" she asked. Max grinned. By lunch, the flutter was gone."
   4. Tricky words: because, always, around. Read each one, say which part is tricky, then spell it aloud and write it twice.

3. 25–30 min Reading workshop and read-aloud RL.2.1, RL.2.3

   Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes (or any first-day-of-school story)

   1. Before: "Wemberly worries about everything. What do you think she worries about on the first day of school?"
   2. During: stop twice and ask: "What is Wemberly worried about now? How do you know?"
   3. After: "What changed at the end? What helped Wemberly feel brave?" Answer with a detail from the book.

   Then read: 15 minutes of independent or partner reading from "just right" books, then one sentence in a reading notebook.

4. 30–40 min Math and math centers 2.NBT.1, 2.NBT.1a

   1. Show 10 ones cubes, then trade them for a ten rod. "10 ones make 1 ten." Show 10 rods and trade them for a flat: "10 tens make 1 hundred."
   2. Build 134 with blocks: 1 hundred, 3 tens, 4 ones. Your child reads it and points to each part.
   3. Your child builds 3 more numbers you say (215, 307, 160) and tells how many hundreds, tens and ones.

   Math center: Build-a-number: roll three dice for the hundreds, tens and ones, build the number and write it.

5. 20–30 min Social studies C3 D2.Civ.3.K-2

   1. Ask: "What makes a classroom feel safe and fair for everyone?"
   2. Write 4 or 5 class agreements together in kid words, like "We listen when someone is talking." Everyone signs.
   3. Talk: "Why do we need agreements? What happens when there are none?"

6. 20–25 min Writing W.2.3, L.2.2

   Write three sentences about yourself: something you like, something you are good at and something you want to learn. Start each sentence with a capital letter and end with a period.

   In 2nd grade, children plan, draft and revise. Expect correct spelling for patterns and tricky words already taught; sound spelling is fine for new words.

7. 20–30 min Centers and independent practice

   • Word work: build closed-syllable words with letter tiles, then sort them by vowel
   • Book bins: choose three "just right" books for your book box
   • Math: build numbers with base-ten blocks and write them three ways
   • Map corner: draw a map of your desk or table with a key

   Device time (5 to 10 minutes): Hundreds, Tens and Ones.

8. 5 min Closing circle SL.2.1

   Ask: "What helped you feel welcome today?" Each child shares one thing.

Short day? Do the morning meeting, phonics and fluency, reading and math. Fold science or social studies into the read-aloud talk.